About me

I have over 20 years of experience and success in the creation of high quality artwork designed to withstand the rigours of the public space. Works have been in 3 dimensions, as well as ground and wall based relief. Over the years I have made new works for town centres, community gardens, public recreation grounds, local authority buildings, housing association developments as well as libraries, hospitals and health centres.

Monday, 26 January 2009

Once the sections of the Time Line have been completed I painted them ready for casting.The first sections to be completed were delivered to the foundry on Friday 23rd January. I hope to deliver the rest of the pieces this week.

I will then be ready to start the next part of the project. Relaunch...

A number of schools were invited to take part in the project, with the children invited to try casting their own creations.During the workshops the children made 'ripple hands' to be included in the final piece of the Time Line, which will feature the message, ‘The Future is in Our Hands.’

The Monks established mills along what is now known as Millgate. There they ground grain to make flour. Flour is still produced in the town today at the Rank Hovis plant on Barlby Road.The Selby Coal Field was the last to be developed in the country. The plans were approved by 1976 the largest deep mine coal project ever undertaken in the world. At full production around 1993-94 the complex was producing 12 million tonnes of coal a year. The mines closed in 2004.

In all there are 12 sections to the Time Line featuring a total of 20 relief roundels depicting the town's history.

The Selby Canal was opened in 1776 linking Selby to Leeds. As a result, the town of Selby flourished, with a custom house which enabled traffic to proceed straight to the North Sea without stopping at Hull.Today it is used almost entirely by leisure boats.Selby Railway Station was the first railway station in Yorkshire, again linking Selby with Leeds. Goods were transported to Selby by train and then continued their journey to Hull and beyond along the Ouse by boat.

The original sketch drawings have been modeled in low relief. These will be cast and included in the patterns for the cast iron time Line sections.

Selby Market has been a main stay in the town since 1324. The cattle market used to be in the centre of town with beasts being walked into town and up Cinder Walk, from as far away as Knottingly. In recent times the cattle market has moved out to its current location on Bawtry Road.The weekly Monday market is still held in its original location selling anything from a handkerchief to a live hen!

When Benedict arrived on the banks of the Ouse he came ashore at Selby, raising his cross he declared the land for the Lord and built himself a shelter under a massive oak tree.It is thought that around the same time ,1069, William the Conqueror’s youngest son, Henry was born at Selby. Henry later went on to succeed his father to the throne becoming Henry I of England.

The name Selby is thought to be derived from the Anglo Saxon word for willow copse – Sele, and the Scandinavian word for town– By. Giving us the name Seleby or as we know it, Selby.Graves were discovered in the area of Church Hill during building works. The oak coffins contained human remains dating from Anglo Saxon times, proving that there had been a settlement in the area for many years before the Abbey was founded. The bodies in the coffins held hazel twigs in their hands. It is thought that the hazel had similar spiritual meaning to the Anglo Saxons as the olive branch has in the Christian faith.

The ArtworkTime LineI have been commissioned to design high quality art works to be incorporated into the landscape design. One major part of this intervention will take the form of a Heritage Trail/Time Line. The piece comprises of approximately 32 metres of decorative cast iron set into the pathway running through Linear Park. I've found researching the long history of the town to be a fascinating project, picking out the major events and industrial developments which have contributed to the bustling market town we know today. The design features a recurring theme of water, the river being a major component in the development of the town.

The ProjectSelby Waterfront Linear ParkThe Linear Park is part of Yorkshire Forward’s Urban Renaissance investment programme delivering world-class architecture and landscape in towns and cities across the region. The project is based on the principle that ‘quality of place’ is a driver of economic performance.

The Linear Park will act as a key gateway to Selby forming part of the street-scape improvements along Ousegate. It will integrate with a multi million pound private sector development planned at the south end of the waterfront site and incorporate the major investment in new flood-defences recently constructed by the Environment agency.

Images show work in progress for Llwynipia Hospital Courtyard.Llwynypia is a new build project in the Rhondda Valley.This is a joint project with Ian Randall.The work is due for completion towards the end of March.Installation to take place in April 2009.